Sacred Simplicity
by Nightminds
Summary: Another post-Aliyah story. Ziva has been rescued, but the story is just beginning. What happened to her and who caused it and how will she and the rest of the team deal? M rating and TIVA in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_There have been so many post-Aliyah fics, and many of them have been absolutely amazing, so I was reluctant to post my own. We've still got a few months til the premiere though, so I figured one more wouldn't hurt. I'm posting as I'm writing, so comments about the direction of the story are more than welcome. The title is a line from one of my favorite songs. Can anyone name it? Enjoy and thanks for reading!  
_

McGee walked into Abby's lab and wondered why he couldn't hear the music all the way in the bullpen. It was definitely louder than normal, and Abby seemed to be enjoying it, dancing away near her monitors.

"Abby!" he yelled. Nothing. Of course she couldn't hear him. "Abby!" he tried again. Still nothing. He walked up behind her and reached out to touch her arm. The moment he made contact, she jumped and spun around.

"McGee!" she said, a look of surprise on her face. "You scared me!" At least, that's what he thought she said, since he still couldn't hear her. She walked over to the stereo and stopped the music.

"Sorry, Abs," he said, his ears ringing in the silence. "What do you do when Gibbs calls? Do you have some sort of flashing light set up somewhere so you know to answer the phone?"

Abby turned to him with her arms folded across her chest. That's when he noticed that her pigtails weren't as perky as normal and that her eyes were red, as if she had been crying. "Well, if I don't hear the phone, that's his problem," she replied.

"Abby," he said, walking towards her. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong, Timmy? What's WRONG?" She started to pace back and forth in front of him. "He replaced her, that's what's wrong. It's like she never even existed."

McGee took a deep breath. "Abby, he had to add someone to the team. Vance was pressuring him and besides, we really needed the help."

"But what about when she comes back?" she responded, her voice wavering.

"Well, if she does, then I'm sure Gibbs will get rid of Agent Collins and bring Ziva back into the fold." Maybe. Tim still wasn't sure what had happened to make Ziva stay behind, and he wasn't sure how Gibbs would feel if she just showed up again. "Have you heard from her at all?"

Abby shook her head sadly. "Not since right after she officially left. When I found out she wasn't coming back, I sent her an e-mail, and she sent me one line back. 'I am fine, Abby. I need to do this. Please take care of them.' And that was it." She started pacing again. "What if something's wrong, Tim? I mean, I know it's Ziva, but this just feels wrong. It's like when she got blown up in Morocco. I'm just worried."

"Abby, I don't think that the fact that you haven't heard from her means that something's wrong. It could mean anything. It could mean that she's out on a mission, undercover somewhere. Or maybe she just needs some space."

Clearly, this was the wrong thing to say. "Space, McGee? Space?!" she cried. "It's been two months! That's more than enough space." Her expression quickly changed from angry to sad. "She kept in touch the last time, McGee. Why haven't we heard from her?"

McGee shook his head sadly and stepped closer to Abby, holding out his arms to envelope her in a hug. "I don't know, Abs. I hope we hear from her soon."

*****

Gibbs sat at his desk and looked over at Tony, who had no idea he was being watched. This wasn't a comment on Gibbs' skills - his senior field agent had been preoccupied since their return from Israel. At first, Gibbs thought he would snap out of it after a few days, but after the first month, it became clear that this wasn't just a temporary thing. He wasn't slacking on his job, of course. That would give Gibbs something to scold him about and try to force him out of his funk. No, he did his job better than ever. But he wasn't the same Tony. He hadn't glued McGee to anything (which, truth be told, was probably a good thing). He hadn't come in talking about his conquests. He hadn't been discussing the upcoming OSU football season. He had been spending quite a bit of time in the gym, battling his demons with the help of the punching bag or the treadmill. Gibbs knew that he went for long runs at night as well. The effects of the exercise were starting to show on Tony. His suits were beginning to look a bit loose, but he also just looked tired all the time. Even after a weekend away from the office, he walked in with dark circles under his eyes. At first, Gibbs had been pleased that Tony wasn't drowning his sorrows, but he was beginning to wonder if his current method of coping was any better for his body.

"DiNozzo!" he barked.

"Yeah, boss?" Tony replied, his enthusiastic response a pale comparison to his old demeanor.

"Status?"

"Two more calls to make, boss, but no leads yet. I'm starting to think our missing petty officer has been missing longer than anyone realized," he commented.

"We'll see about that once you make those two more calls," Gibbs responded. "Collins, what do you got?"

"Lots of spurned lovers," Agent Julia Collins responded. "Sounds like this guy was a real piece of work. I wouldn't be surprised if he ran off rather than deal with all these angry women," she commented.

"Think any of them could have killed him?" Gibbs asked.

"I don't think so. I didn't get that impression from any of them. They were mad, and willing to make his life a living hell, but I don't think they were violent."

"Good. Keep checking."

"Will do, Boss."

"Gibbs!" Vance's booming voice came down from the walkway. "Got a call coming in from NSA Bahrain. I think you're going to want to hear this," he said, gesturing towards MTAC.

"What's it about?" Gibbs asked as he reached the top of the stairs.

"Ziva," Vance said quietly, his voice not quite loud enough to be heard in the bullpen. Gibbs glanced back at Tony, who was none the wiser.

*****

"It will be just a couple of minutes, Director," the young woman at the communications panel said as they entered.

"Leon, what's this about?" Gibbs repeated as they walked to the front of the room.

"I'm sorry I had to keep you out of the loop on this one, Gibbs," he said. "I didn't want to say anything until I could be sure."

"Be sure about what?"

"I got word a couple of days ago that Ziva was found by a group of Navy SEALs somewhere in Somalia. They're being vague about the location. She had been... well, she had clearly been beaten repeatedly. She was alive and conscious, but barely coherent. They aren't sure if she was dumped or if she escaped. She really lucked out on this one. Turns out that one of the SEALs who found her was a suspect in one of your investigations a few years back. Apparently Ziva's interrogation made quite an impression on him. When he recognized her, he had her brought to Camp Lemonier in Djibouti. Couple of days later, they shipped her to NSA Bahrain because they've got bigger medical facilities.

Gibbs let this all sink in. "Did they contact Mossad?"

"Not yet. They wanted to run it through us first."

"Director," the woman interrupted. "Lieutenant Commander James is connecting now."

The screen changed to the image of a man in his early forties wearing a khaki Navy uniform. "Director Vance," he said. "I apologize for making you wait."

"That's quite all right, Commander. I understand you have an update for us on Officer David?" he asked, not bothering to introduce Gibbs.

"Yes, sir. As you know, when she arrived, she was in pretty bad shape. She has a severely broken arm, a number of broken ribs, and an orbital fracture. Thankfully, that doesn't seem to have affected her vision. We don't believe she has any internal bleeding, but she did suffer a severe concussion, and we're continuing to monitor that. She also had a number of lacerations requiring stitches, some of which look like they were done with a knife." He shook his head. "Someone really did a number on her, but she is responding well to treatments."

"Can she fly?" Vance asked.

"Short flights, yes, but if you're asking if we can fly her back to the States, the answer is no. Not yet, anyway. I'm not comfortable putting her on a flight that long in her current condition if we don't have to."

"Is she awake?"

"She's in and out of consciousness," he said, rubbing his forehead. "To be honest, sir, I'm not sure what they were after, but she was very clearly tortured. She fights sleep, even though the pain medication is guaranteed to make her drowsy. Someone mentioned Mossad around her and she panicked. I don't want to draw any conclusions from that, but it's something you should know."

"I appreciate that, Commander. Can you tell me more about how she was found?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to talk to Chief Anderson about that one, sir. I was not privy to the specifics of their mission, but I believe they found Officer David slumped over a table in the corner of a restaurant. He didn't recognize her at first. One of the other men pointed her out because of her injuries. It wasn't until the Chief got closer that he recognized her. I'm not sure what he said to convince her to go with them, but apparently, she went along pretty willingly."

"When do you think she will be able to travel again?"

The doctor paused for a moment. "It's hard to say. Depends on how well she does, but if she continues to progress, I think she could probably handle a transatlantic flight in a week or two. I understand the Admiral has agreed to allow you to send a team for her?"

"That's correct. I expect you will be seeing Agent Gibbs," he said, finally acknowledging the other man's presence, "and Agent DiNozzo in a day or two."

"I will be sure to be on shift when they arrive," James responded.

"Thank you for all your help, Commander," he said. The doctor nodded and Vance signaled for the communication to be closed.

Immediately, Gibbs turned to him. "What aren't you telling me, Leon? And why am I just learning all of this now?"

"I had my reasons, Gibbs. I had to be sure this wasn't some sort of a trick."

"What kind of a trick would involve Ziva being beaten to a pulp?" Gibbs responded angrily.

"I think Mossad had something to do with this," Vance responded. "And I would like to believe that Ziva wasn't part of that. I've had a team looking into her actions over the last few months before she left, and..."

"Without my knowledge?" Gibbs interrupted.

"You and your team are clearly biased in this situation, Gibbs. I had to be sure. I think Ziva was setup. I don't think she knew what Rivkin was doing here, but I just can't prove it yet. I'm not sure what Mossad was after, but I have seen no real indication that Ziva had any idea either."

"Am I supposed to interrogate her in her hospital bed?" he asked angrily.

"You're supposed to find out what she knows. And you're supposed to bring her back here. I'm not contacting Director David about this until we know more."

"And DiNozzo?"

"You think I don't know what goes on in my office, Gibbs? Besides, if there's anyone who can get information out of Ziva, it's the two of you. You two are wheels up in five hours."

*****

"Go home and pack your gear, DiNozzo," Gibbs called as he descended the stairs.

"Where we going, Boss?"

"Bahrain," he responded. "McGee, you're in charge. I need you to find out everything you can about our missing petty officer."

"You got it, Boss," he said. "What's in Bahrain?"

Gibbs looked at Tony as he answered McGee's question. "Ziva."

_I apologize for any factual mistakes in this story. They are entirely unintentional._


	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry for the delay, everyone. I actually wrote three versions of this chapter before I decided on the right storyline. This is a short one, because I'm planning big things for the next chapter. _

"So that's the neighborhood," Adam Wright said to his friend as they walked down the dirt road. "It's not much, and I can't say I'll ever call it home, but I do feel like I'm making a difference to these people," he said.

"I'd say you're definitely making a difference," responded Owen Anderson. "It's really great to get a chance to see all of this. We're usually in and out of an area so quickly that we don't see much of anything. At least not during daylight," he said with a wink.

"Well, I'm glad your job brought you here, at least for a little bit. It has been convenient for the aid workers to have a U.S. military installation so close. A little bit of added security, I guess you could say, even if it's all in our heads. Plus it makes it a whole lot easier to get supplies shipped in."

"And yet you're still living in little huts miles away," Owen laughed.

"Oh come on, like you haven't slept worse places. Oh wait," Adam grinned. "You can't tell me, can you?"

"Sorry, classified," he responded, the joke familiar to both of them.

Owen noticed her first. "Is that...?" he asked pointing. On the far side of the street, there was a body crumpled on the ground. The figure was huddled up against the building and barely moving.

"Oh God," Adam responded, rushing over. "It's a woman," he said, brushing her hair out of her face. The woman groaned softly and opened one eye to look at him, the other swollen shut. He could see the panic on her bruised and bloody face. "It's okay. My name is Adam," he said, and then repeated himself in the local dialect.

"With that skin tone, I don't think she's a local," Owen commented, as he scanned the area for any onlookers. "And whoever left her here might be coming back for her."

"Help me get her back to the camp," he said. "She needs our help."

"Help..." the woman managed to croak, grabbing at Adam's arm. "Can't..." she broke off, her breathing ragged.

"Well, she speaks English. That's something," Owen said. "My name's Owen," he said, leaning over her. "We'll help you, but we need to move you. Can I carry you?" he asked.

"Please," she responded weakly.

"Wait," Adam said. "Let's make sure she doesn't have any injuries that could be exacerbated by carrying her."

"Look," Owen said sharply, sounding like the SEAL he was for the first time all day. "Someone did this to her. This wasn't just a random act of violence. This was torture," he said, pointing out the varying stages of healing wounds on her arm. "And for all we know, they're coming back for her." He brushed her ragged hair out of her face. "This was personal," he said, looking her in the eyes. He paused a moment and furrowed his brow.

"What?" Adam asked.

"She looks familiar," he said. "I feel like I know her from somewhere."

"One of your many conquests?" he laughed.

"If only," Owen responded. "Help me lift her," he said as he gently slid his arms under her body. Adam shifted her ragged clothing out of the way and Owen fairly effortlessly lifted her into his arms. Her head lolled against his chest as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Owen looked around them again and then started down the road at a faster pace. "Let's go."

*****

"I can't do much for her here," the nurse said, having examined the woman moments after they got back to the aid camp. "I don't know who did this to her, but she's been tortured, and it's been going on for a few weeks. She's got burns and knife wounds and bruises all over her body. Her arm is very clearly broken and it may have started to heal improperly. She'll probably need surgery on it. And I'd say she's got a pretty severe concussion as well. We can rehydrate her and deal with the cuts, but she needs x-rays and an MRI and a real hospital."

"Did she say who she is? Or who did this to her?" Adam asked.

"She didn't. I don't think she knows how she got here."

Owen paced back and forth in front of them, lost in thought. He knew this woman, but he didn't know why. But he could clearly see her with a knife in her hands, playing with it, using it to trim her nails. Where would he have encountered a woman like that?

Suddenly, his head snapped up and he walked into the tent. Adam and the nurse frowned, but followed behind him and found him standing at the woman's bedside.

"I know you," he said. "You questioned me when one of my buddies got himself into a little bit of trouble. You're NCIS."

Even through the bruising and the swelling, Owen could see the surprise on her face, and he knew he had gotten it right. "I'm sorry, I don't remember your name, but I'm Chief Owen Anderson, and we're going to make sure that you're safe." He turned to Adam. "She's an NCIS agent. She was part of the team investigating O'Connor as part of a drug smuggling operation. Turns out he was clean, but we all got pulled in for questioning," he explained. "And since she's NCIS, that means that getting her treatment on a military base shouldn't be too much trouble. I hope, anyway." He gestured to where his Humvee was parked. "Want to ride along? I could use some help keeping an eye on her. I bet we can send you back with some supplies," he offered.

"You know I'm in, even without the supplies. Plus I have to admit, I'm curious about this woman now. I want to know her story."

"Me too," he said, looking down at her swollen face. "Me too."

_So now we know what happened to Ziva... sort of, anyway. Stay tuned for Gibbs and Tony's arrival._


End file.
